SOCS 350 Week 3 And Week 4 Discussions. All A Graded.Take a Walk (graded)
Let's start this discussion by sharing public observations. Spend time either
... [Show More] walking around or sitting
and watching people in a very busy public place. Look for things that you associate with people from
race/ethnic, cultural, gender, and social-class backgrounds that are different from your own. Look for
the kinds of common interactions or behaviors between different groups and those like your own.
For example, do they acknowledge the other's presence if eye contact happens to occur? Do any
behaviors change in the presence of other groups?
Consider what you expect to see based on your assumptions and understandings about persons of
different backgrounds (how you expect them to dress, walk, talk, interact with each other, interact
with others, etc). Make note of those things that catch your attention. Pay special attention to what
you don't see as well. In two to three paragraphs, share your observations with the class. Please
begin your post with, "In my observation..."
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(an instructor response)
Collapse Mark as Read Acculturation Professor Morgan Email this Author 9/14/2014
9:25:08 AM
To begin the discussion this week, let's be sure we're on the same page, before you take a walk...
Why is "acculturation" an important part of socialization?
What does acculturation have to do with taking a walk?
Collapse Mark as Read RE: Acculturation David Smeed Email this Author 9/14/2014
3:54:34 PM
I think the aspect of acculturation is important to examine before completing this walk.
Acculturation, in short, is defined as an ethnic or racial group accepting and practicing the ways of
another culture, typically at the expense of their cultures traditional ways (DeVry University, 2014).
This idea of acculturation is especially present throughout our society today. In a previous week’s
discussion post, Professor Morgan provided a video clip of an Asian women and a Caucasian man
talking about where they are from. The Asian woman in that video is an excellent example of the
topic of acculturation in the United States. That woman may have been raised in a traditional
American way with absolutely no ties to her family’s heritage, however, in America because of the
way she appears, she will still be viewed as an Asian living in America. People may even be surprised
if she doesn’t speak her native language or dress the way of that culture. To her, she is an American,
no different than any other American born in the country. However, if she was to go to and meet her
relatives, they would consider her to be associated with America more than Asia. This idea is
important before we go out and observe different people. There are many people who look like they
should be/ act different because of the way they appear, but, in reality; they may be just the same.
One of the most crucial aspects of this walk will be to point out how people are similar, not different.
So far we have discussed the importance of difference and diversity. I think the idea of acculturation
is important because it can show that while someone may look different, it doesn’t mean that they
are different. If we can understand that while many people have differences in subcultures (with
varying beliefs, values, etc.), appearance should absolutely not be the way in which someone tries to
identify which sub-group they ascribe to. Everyone is different, but appearance (encompassing
gender, race, clothing, etc.) should be the last thing that people look at when examining those
differences.
Reference
DeVry University. (2014). Week 3 lecture: Acculturation. Retrieved from https://my.devry.edu/
Collapse Mark as Read RE: Acculturation Virginia Smith Email this Author 9/14/2014
7:48:31 PM
Webster defines acculturation as cultural modification of an individual, group, or people by adapting
to or borrowing traits from another culture. Understanding acculturation will impact the way
individuals view other people.
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/acculturation
(an instructor response)
Collapse Mark as Read RE: Acculturation Professor Morgan Email this Author
9/15/2014 7:28:28 AM
Virginia, why would you suppose that I assign a walk, to better understand acculturation?
Collapse Mark as Read RE: Acculturation Virginia Smith Email this Author 9/17/2014
12:02:09 AM
Professor Morgan,
The assignment of the walk allowed me to observe and pay closer attention to daily events and
activities of people. Most of people are busy and do not see the details of interactions. If I pass
someone in the hall, typically I just pass them. But in this assignment when passing someone in the
hall I noticed more about the person, the body language, and the interaction.
Collapse Mark as Read RE: Acculturation Nicholas Matzenbacher Email this Author
9/17/2014 5:06:13 PM
Hello everyoneVirginia I couldn't agree with you more. My wife normally accuses me of being a non-sociable person
who doesn't pay attention or enjoy my life surroundings (those are her exact words because she is a
staring social butterfly). I tend to stay in "my bubble" because thats what makes me the most
comfortable. I always look down at the ground or over everyone head when I'm around people.
During the observation I actually followed the assignment as well, and took the time to notice things
I never noticed before or might have always missed. I think is a eye-opening and good assignment.
Especially for someone like myself who is non-observing and open to new things all the time.
Collapse Mark as Read RE: Acculturation Kristen Roberts Email this Author
9/16/2014 1:00:03 PM
Virginia,
According to the definition you provided the class, then acculturation can be found everywhere. Isn't
America one big example of acculturation. Adapting and borrowing traits from other cultures?
A couple examples that reminds me of acculturation are:
-Blacks were known for R&B and Rap music; I think that just as many white people now listen to this
type of music today.
-Eastern medicine is becoming more popular in North America. Massage therapy and acupuncture
can be found at most salons and holistic spas. We have adapted some medicine techniques from the
Eastern countries.
-My last example is fashion; European countries seem to set the trend when it comes to clothes and
accessories. It then spreads to New York and around America. I have seen this so man times in
fashion magazines or on T.V.
Collapse Mark as Read RE: Acculturation Melinda Mercado Email this Author
9/15/2014 8:31:13 PM
Why is acculturation an important part of our socialization? According to Dictionary. Com
acculturation means to assimilate or cause to assimilate a different culture, typically a dominant one.
If one acculturates to “the American way” they will not have much trouble fitting into society. They
will be able to relate to others easily. Acculturation during a walk, well… we will be able to pick out
people that are from different cultures and tell if they have adopted our culture or not.
References:
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/acculturation
Collapse Mark as Read RE: Acculturation Maria Martinez Email this Author
9/15/2014 10:24:55 PM
Professor and Classmates,
According to Merriam-Webster Dictionary, acculturation means cultural modification of an
individual, group, or people by adapting to or borrowing traits from another culture. Acculturation is
important in socialization because it allows us to grow and merge into the dominant group. Being an
Mexican- American, I have grown with the American traditions of Thanksgiving, Fourth of July,
Halloween, Labor Day, Easter, Grandparents Day, Nurses Week etc. When a cousin of mine came to
visit during Thanksgiving, she said" in Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, Mexico we don't celebrate this
holiday." She said" you have forgotten your roots." Sadly, it is true that my parents and grandparents
did not keep some of the Mexican traditions.
Like the saying goes until you walk in the shoes of others, then you will know what they have been
through. So I guess acculturation means that taking a walk will allow us to learn what others may
have changed to become part of the dominant group.
Ursula
Reference:
www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/acculturation
Collapse Mark as Read RE: Acculturation Larresha Nash Email this Author 9/16/2014
8:15:30 AM
Acculturation is important to society because It is a culture that changes by taking on traits from
another culture. When "taking a walk" acculturation is all around us, its important to notice the
things that make each culture different and unique to them, but also to see how they have adapted
to the majority cultures they are surrounded by.
(an instructor response)
Collapse Mark as Read RE: Acculturation Professor Morgan Email this Author
9/16/2014 9:15:38 AM
Larresha, I want to make that I'm following your point. In the process of acculturation, are you
stating that the host culture assumes characteristics of incoming or minority cultures?
Collapse Mark as Read RE: Acculturation Alan Dean Email this Author 9/17/2014
9:19:52 PM
I think that that is true. For example, food. I love Basmati rice, and I'm looking at a package of it
right now, which says "Aged one year minimum... grown in the foothills of the Himalayas... Product
of India."
On the other hand, Chinese food, or American versions of it, are unknown in China. They are foods
adapted by Chinese immigrants to appeal to westerners. For example, fortune cookies are "a treat
that's unheard of in China..." (Langfitt, 2014). Some factories in China manufacture them, but export
them to other countries, as noted in the reference article.
Reference:
Langfitt, F. (2014).Shanghai warms up to a new cuisine: Chinese food, American-style
(Online article). Retrieved from:
http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2014/02/12/275628045 /cornell-pair-introduce-americanchinese-food-to-shanghai
Collapse Mark as Read RE: Acculturation David Smeed Email this Author 9/19/2014
1:19:37 PM
Alan, your posts made me want to try and figure out the origin of these fortune cookies. It turns out
they were made by an individual named Makoto Hagiwara. He created the cookie in 1914 in San
Francisco (Library of Congress, 2010). To me this is comical and a further excellent depiction of how
cultural diffusion and adaption occurs. One of the most iconic aspects of our “American Chinese”
food is the fortune cookie. As Alan stated above, these are almost unheard of in China. The most
common theme that is seen in the aspect of food diffusion amongst cultures within America is the
processes of making the food appear more “American friendly”. This is why the majority of the menu
items on your local Mexican or Chinese restaurants menu are loose adaptations of a more nonAmerican-friendly dish.
References
Library of Congress. (2010). Everyday Mysteries. Retrieved from
http://www.loc.gov/rr/scitech/mysteries/fortunecookie.html
Collapse Mark as Read RE: Acculturation Larresha Nash Email this Author 9/19/2014
7:37:20 PM
Hi Professor Morgan, I am saying that When I look around I see minority cultures that have adapted
and taken on many ways of the host culture. Not so much the other way around
Collapse Mark as Read RE: Acculturation Paul Tran Email this Author 9/16/2014
3:26:30 PM
Professor and classmates,
Acculturation is an important part of socialization because it allows us to accept and expand on the
beliefs and practices of other groups aside from our own. It's almost an opposite of ethnocentrism in
that rather you judge against another culture and comparing it to your own, you might instead adopt
different aspects of culture from another group such as language, values, and attitudes.
Acculturation and assimilation go hand in hand. Being able to recognize this allows us to develop a
society with acceptance. While taking a walk and observing other groups, you might practice
acculturation because you have the opportunity to observe and adopt many other groups that are
around you. You want to be able to have an open mind to what exists aside from your own culture. [Show Less]